Stroll in the Night
by Obsidian.Nymph
Summary: Nuada has returned from exile. Unfortunately he has forgotten that the Fey are not the only ones out there, which leads to him having a new enemy, who could easily become a friend or a bigger threat. Will he survive this fight?
1. An Auctioneer's Nightmare

**Author's Note: **I do NOT own Hellboy, Liz, Abe, any Karen Chance references I may make or Prince Nuada (Even though I would really, REALLY like to own him, I mean who DOESN'T?) and never will. *sigh*

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Chapter One

_Blackwood's Auction House_

The hushed conversation of the wealthy upper class who attended the auction added nicely to the atmosphere tonight. Women wearing only the finest dresses, dripping in exquisite jewellery perched on velvet lined seats as their equally obnoxious partners bid on ancient treasures from civilizations long gone. The evening was a success from the auctioneer's point of view, with the items going for higher prices than imagined because the bidders were feeling slightly generous. Statues, vases, jewellery. Anything that they had managed to salvage from various locations across the planet, they sold today. They only the history behind them from what the auctioneer told them. They didn't know about the gruesome and violent past of the beautiful diamond necklace that the man with the Pomeranian wanted for his wife. The Gaia statue represented Mother Earth, they knew that, but they didn't know of the lives of all the slaves who were forced to labour, day and night to carve it and then were sacrificed as an offering of their fertility. And I doubt they would like to know. I could smell the perfume of everyone in this room and they mingled and joined to form a strong wafting scent that made me feel nauseous. I was in for a long night.

I sat in the back, quiet and still, waiting for the item I wanted. I held no interest in anything else and I was willing to pay a high price for it. The auction people had no clue what it was so it had a fairly low starting bid and I was hoping to be the only bidder so I could get it and get out before the idiots around me drove me insane.

"And now we move onto our next item, lot 777, a piece of the Royal Crown of Bethmoora. The origin of this piece harkens back to the saga of the Sons of the Earth and the creation of the fabled Golden Army. And here it is, our next item..."

The crown piece was magnificent. Even though I wasn't going to bid it, I could see why so many of the people in here were admiring it. The trolley it was on was getting a lot of longing gazes and I could see a few men glaring at each other as they readied themselves to start their bidding war. Suddenly, the lights flickered and then sputtered out. The muffled conversation rose in volume until I could hear all of them as if they were shouting right next to my ears. Stupid people. They are happy until one small thing goes wrong and then they are terrified of every little detail.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please keep your seats. The auction will restart shortly. I'm sure this is just a temporary loss of power. "

I resisted the urge to scoff as some frightened women rose out of their seats in a panic and focused on keeping a straight face. These bubble-headed bimbos really did make my day so much more entertaining.

"Now, for the first time at auction, a piece of the Royal Crown of Bethmoora, coming to us from a long lost culture."

"Lost? Not at all."

I looked up at the sound of that voice. Not many creatures on the planet have voices as rich and as beautiful as the elves do, and here was the prince of elves himself. Returning from exile I presume. Whatever the reason, tonight was not going to be the night I hoped it would be.

"Forgotten by you, perhaps, but very, very much alive." As he paced into the room, he placed a heavy metal container with a seal on it, onto the floor. The soft chattering that came from inside the box worried me, I could only barely hear it with my enhanced hearing. There was something inside that box and I wasn't going to hang around to find out what it was. I looked towards the front again, and saw the auctioneer trying to reason with the prince.

"Who are you, Sir?"

_Stupid creature, even in the jaws of death, it is still polite._

"I am Prince Nuada, Silverlance, son of King Balor. And I am here, sir, to reclaim what is rightfully mine."

The man's feeble attempt to call security gave me the incentive to move. I wasn't the only one but they sat down as soon as Nuada told them to. I glared defiantly at him.

I pushed past the immobilized figures of the people in my row and stood in the aisle. Slowly walking towards him, I wore my poker face. Anybody can get a decent one with enough practice. I have had _plenty_ of time to practice.

"You, stubborn human, what do you think you're doing?"

I continued walking towards him then strode past, deliberately brushing my dress along his arm. He hissed in disbelief and drew back. I entered the holding room and grabbed lot 784, the item I had waited so patiently for before he came and ruined the evening.

I sauntered back into the room and made my way to the exit his troll had made for him.

"Filthy human, you are so hollow that you even steal from each other. You shall be punished for your crimes soon."

That was it. The final straw. He had insulted me enough. I placed my stolen treasure into my big bag that I had brought along and whirled to face him. He was a fool, like all the other elves I know. Proud and undeniably obnoxious.

"Call me human, one more time Elf and I will show you what pain means. You have forgotten it is not only you who walk the night and it would be best for you to stay out of my way."

He blinked and his posture stiffened.

"I will call you what I want, _human. _I shall like to see you try and harm me._"_

Mocking, he tilted his head back and laughed. Big mistake.

I flitted to him before he could react and had a knife pressed to his throat. Bone knives were rare, but worth it. Strong and undetectable by modern technology, I had paid a small fortune to acquire one, and it had come in handy tonight. Paranoia made me carry it around wherever I went, I had to be prepared for anything.

He was shocked, to see me. He twisted to get a better view of my face and in doing so, he nicked his neck a little causing golden blood to dribble down his pale neck.

"What sort of creature are you? Forgive me for calling you human." I tilted my head up to face him. Even with my heels, I was still nearly a foot smaller than him. In the pale light of the moon that filtered in through the heavy brocade curtains, I let my fangs elongate.

"Vampire? A creature of the night in a room full of humans and you didn't kill them?" He sounded disappointed. I shook my head, enjoying his puzzlement.

With my fangs fully out, I could talk but with a slight lisp. I wasn't used to talking when I had my fangs out anyways.

"I am no vampire, Elf. Dhampir is the correct term and that is what I am. Do not think you are the only ones out there in hiding. We are rare and we have to hide always, unlike you. Now if you'll excuse me, the night is young and I have to get going. Goodbye, Prince."

With that, I flitted out of the room, under the arms of the lumbering troll who attempted to grab me but failed, and the dazed prince, who with a small smile, released the horde of Tooth Fairies on the panicked humans.

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**AN: **I hope you liked it! Anybody who **reviews** gets a BIG hug from the character of your choice XD

Tell me what you think and I will be really happy and I won't set Benny the Troll on you. Nuada is so fabulous that he needs lots and lots of fanfics so we can all bask in his awesome amazingness.

Lotsa love,

O.N


	2. Entering the Lair

**A/N: **Thank you to Watergoddesskasey and Linny for reviewing. I definitely agree with Linny, when I read Midnight's Daughter I immediately thought that Dory and Nuada would make a fantastic couple because they are both very different personalities.

I just want to explain a bit in this chapter about what Dory is and some background information but I'm trying to fit it into the story. She's definitely an interesting character to write about. Keep the reviews coming, I LOVE them .XD

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Chapter Two

Tonight's events were annoying me. The auction had made my skin itch for a good fight but I had been learning to control it. So I walked down the most dangerous alley, looking for some vampire to beat the daylights out off, but was I that lucky?

No.

To explain to anyone who might be wondering why I am looking for a brawl, Dhampirs are a vampires mortal enemy. Some say God put us on this Earth to keep the vampire population under check, but all I know is that if I don't pummel something tonight, I'm not going to be a happy bunny tomorrow morning.

I stalked down the alley to the adjacent street and with a resigned sigh, turned to head back to my house. It was close by so that was a relief but it was situated in not one of the most glamorous of locations, so I hadn't really got that attached to it yet. I had painted and redecorated it to the best of my abilities so it brought a smile to my face whenever I stepped through the front door. The damp and noisy streets of Manhattan charmed me, because even with all the horror and fear that it stank of, there was always some person that was happy and there was always some hope lingering in the breeze.

Currently though, all I smelt in the breeze was urine because some annoying person had decided to use the front of the house as a toilet. Great first impression. You look up at the little house and the first thing that hits you is the overpowering stench of pee. Home sweet home. I unlocked the slightly mouldy door and stepped inside. The bright red paint warmed up the hallway and as I took off my shoes, I was greeted by a very strong and equally smelly baby Duergar.

"Hey Stinky" I managed to sputter as he wrapped his sticklike arms around my face. I had just washed him yesterday but he already had managed to acquire a smell that was not exactly appealing. Luckily, I couldn't manage to get a complete lock on what the odour was so I was happy with putting up with it instead of finding out.

I entered the living room with him cradled in my arms like a twisted version of a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. The room looked like it was a scene from a horror movie. Furniture was strewn everywhere and fluff was escaping like little bundles of snow from the sofa I had just recently bought. The walls had cracks in it where it looked like somebody had punched it but the sheer size of it made me wonder. The little TV was smashed and all my paint collection had been ruined. Now I was pissed. I scoured the rest of the house and found it in pretty much the same state. I'd never got a deposit back yet but that didn't mean I didn't try. I knelt down on my bedroom floor and prised open the floorboard where I hid my little collection of goods. They weren't damaged thankfully, the only bit of luck I had this evening. I knew that somebody had been through my stuff but I now I had to find out who exactly had been stupid enough to try this little stunt. Now, I thought, is the perfect time for a fight as I grabbed one of the poles of the headboard of my bed. Slipping it under the heavy coat I wore to hide my dress, cradling an infant Duergar I made my way back into the streets to one of my favourite places to get my information... The troll market.

I very rarely go to the troll market since the main targets I have to take out are vampires. But every now and then I have to banish a lower level demon and the troll market is a favourite hide-out of theirs, with its crowded colourful streets and many underground caves. Being an assassin for hire comes with a price of making lots of enemies, so I was willing to bet that someone there knew who had ordered the hit. It wasn't going to be easy to get that information but I was willing to bet that they would soon relent.

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Brooklyn Bridge gleamed at me in the night sky. I had to watch myself here because magical creatures sometimes ventured out to the surface world and they didn't like strangers that much. But in order to get into the market, I had to find myself a guide. Outside the door, which led to the market entrance, a lonely old lady with a trolley full of cats meandered around like a lost soul. To the unsuspecting eye, she looked harmless but I knew better. The fragglewump was a lesser creature, who could cast a glamour to cloak herself and shield her real appearance from humans. I was a magical creature myself, in a sense, so I saw her true self. Her back turned as she opened her jaws to the devour her favourite delicacy, cats. I grabbed her just in time for the poor beast to escape with a angry hiss, into the safety of the shadows. Her eyes widened in fright as I held her by the neck against a bin.

"P...p...please...I'll do anything if you'll let me g...go, how could you harm an old l...lady like me?" she begged as I let her see my elongated fangs.

"You're hardly an old lady, I can see your true body, Fragglewump. Now stop cowering and be a _real dear _and allow me entry to the troll market. I swear I won't harm you if you do."

She shook her head obstinately, and normally I would respond to that refusal with a good old-fashioned beating but tonight I was starting to feel strangely mellow. Must be all the lights that are around calming me.

"Pretty pleassssssseeee?" I made puppy dog eyes and backed it up by letting go of her with one hand to remove the iron pole of my headboard from my coat. I wouldn't use it but she wasn't to know that.

"Aghh! Alright, I'll take you there you evil thing but don't expect any more help from me." She huffed as I released her from my grip. Scowling, she hid her trolley behind one of the larger bins and stepped inside the door, beckoning me to follow. I followed her through an old abattoir which used to be called "Happy Cows". The sight of the limp bodies hanging down in rows made me shudder, so I focused on where she was leading me instead. Finally we reached the end of the room and I looked up at the huge doorway to the market. With a resigned sigh, she moved off to one side and twisted a lock various ways before the entrance opened with a deafening groan. I turned to thank her only to find her running as fast as her little legs could carry towards the door back to the streets. Guess she had taken my threat very seriously then.

I turned back to the entrance and immersed myself in the hustle and bustle that was the troll market. The door clanged shut behind me but I focused on trying to find someone who could give me some information. I noticed an ugly looking creature with what looked like a baby attached to his chest but I realised it was a tumour. Lovely. I pushed my way past the crowd earning a few glares and several threats. The creature was at a barbers and I saw the demon behind him clutching a very large blade.

"_Good choice" _I thought to myself, "_Go for the one that has the slightly scary demon behind him with a weapon." _Clearly tonight was not my lucky night.

"Hey, you!" I shouted as I finally managed to stand in front of him. The tumour swivelled its head around and stared at me with large shining eyes.

"What do you want?" the creature grunted threateningly. I held my hands up as a sign of peace.

"I just want to ask a few questions..." I said calmly. Now was not the time to get all fired up about what tone he was using. " Somebody broke into my house and it looks like they were looking for something...do you know who that somebody is?"

His eyes widened in shock and to hide it he looked down at the tumour which was glaring at it. "No. I got no idea what you talking about." he muttered. "I got no idea at all."

"Oh. Now that's going to be a problem" I murmured sweetly. I slowly pushed back my coat to reveal the bar that it hid. He shrunk back in fright and the tumour started to talk.

"You are such a baby." It said in a soft voice, its face was sweet and innocent. When I stepped forward and the creature moved back even further, it shouted "COWARD!" I grabbed the creature by the mangy collar of its shirt and proceeded to slap it senseless. By the time I was finished, its head was twitching and it seemed to be a bit more responsive to my interrogation.

"Alright, I'll talk. Prince Nuada and ransacked your home. That's all I know." he squealed. I laughed in his face revealing my very pointy incisors.

"Good boy. Now where is Prince Nuada located. I have to return the favour, after all."

He whimpered "At the end of this street, there is a stairway, follow it down into Prince Nuada's den. Just don't hurt me anymore."

The tumour looked at him in disgust and whispered quietly "Coward." I smiled and leant forward to pat it on the head. "You' re a smart kid." I told it, and it turned to smile at me. I turned in the direction he had mentioned and with a final glance at the squabbling sight of the creature and its tumour, I disappeared once again into the safety of the crowd.

Vendors shouted out to the travellers, encouraging them to come to the stall and look at the items on offer. I caught the glimpse of one of my not-so-evil acquaintances , a Nsquital demon called Jay. He saw me and with trepidation lifted a claw to wave at me. I smiled in response and waved back before stopping at the arch where the staircase began. It was damp, dark and unpleasant, not the sort of place I would expect a prince to reside. _Maybe it gets better further down_, I though as I walked down the curving flight of steps. As if in response to my thoughts, a faint glow of light peeked up from the base of the stairs and Stinky, who had remained unusually quiet for the journey started to chatter to me in what I called Baby Fey Talk. I shushed him as gently as I could and he responded by crawling out of the coat pocket he sat in and wrapping his arms around my neck in a tight embrace, accidently cutting off the airflow to my lungs.

"Stinky" I managed to wheeze as he realized what I was saying and released my neck in apology. I smiled in a motherly way, rubbing my sore neck.

Reaching, the bottom of the stairs, I faced a open cavern with furniture and lights dotted around it. The soft golden glow that emanated from the lights added to the effect of comfort. The furniture, though sparse, was well made and the walls were ornately carved, with scenes from a story that I couldn't remember but it triggered something in my memory. I pushed those thoughts aside and was about to enter when I heard the murmur of someone talking and instead pressed my ear to the wall.

"So my friend, now that the bait has been laid, all we have to do is wait and she will come to us like a moth drawn to the flame." I recognised the deep, silky voice immediately and cursed myself. Before I could run back up the stairs as fast as possible, a loud grunt responded and I heard a delighted laugh.

"Well, I have to applaud her, it was certainly quicker than I expected. Now dhampir, why don't you come inside and lay down whatever weapon you have brought with you in your pathetic mission."

With a growl, I stormed in and turned in the direction of the voice.

"Prince Nuada, what an honour. I would have thought it below you to destroy the house of a lowly dhampir?" I jeered, hopeful that he would attack and I could finally have a shot at that unfairly beautiful face.

He smirked and the sight of those enticing black lips made me boil over with fury. He motioned for me to drop my weapons and that did it. I was not going to be defenceless in front of him and I could feel the carnal rage inside roaring to get out. I felt like I was drowning in anger and finally I blacked out, releasing the beast inside.

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**A/N: **What a cliff-hanger!! Sorry for keeping you waiting.

Dory has slipped into her rage. For those who don't know, dhampir are supposed to have violent rages in which they become a true predator and try and kill anything they can. Dory tries to control her rages but fails. A lot. What will happen once she wakes up because they black out during a rage. They can't remember what happens after they wake up so it will be fun to see what ideas my muse will throw at me. Oh, I am also on need of a beta, so anybody willing to volunteer? Keep the reviews coming in, PLEASE? *Puppy dog eyes*

Lotsa love,

O.N


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